In connection with the invasion of the troops of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine and the decision of the Council of the Federation to permit the use of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine "to normalize the situation", we, the representatives of the Human Rights Center "Viasna", express our indignation at the actions of the authorities of the Russian Federation and call:

- to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, to stop military intervention in the internal affairs of that State, as required by international agreements, including the ones concluded within the framework of OSCE, a member of which is the Russian Federation;

- to refrain from the use of weapons and physical violence against the civilian population of the occupied territories, as well as against the Ukrainian troops;

- to immediately unlock the military objects of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Navy, as well as to return the Russian troops to their places of permanent deployment in accordance with the Kharkiv agreement on the status of the Russian Black Sea Fleet;

We remind you that in accordance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, torture and other cruel and inhuman treatment is unacceptable, including in situations of armed conflict.

We also remind that the responsibility for possible casualties among civilians and soldiers on both sides as a result of the blatant aggression will be born by the Russian Federation and its president V.V. Putin personally.

We encourage the Russian Federation to prevent further escalation of the conflict and immediately begin negotiations on matters affecting the interests of both countries.

On behalf of the Board of the Human Rights Center "Viasna" Valiantsin Stefanovich